


Rebel Red Heartbeats

by orphan_account



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: (kind of) Chlorine music video, Aliens, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-24 04:13:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17697446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When the trespasser turns to face him, Josh about passes out. Whatever this is, it isn’t human.





	Rebel Red Heartbeats

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure what to put here besides that this is loosely based on the chlorine music video and instead of having Ned exist, I made Tyler like some weird hybrid of Ned. So. Now you have that image in your head.
> 
> Y'know, I like the concept of this but I'm not so sure how well I executed it so if you have anything to say let me know. :-) Happy to be publishing again.

Under the heat of the blazing sun, Josh scrubs at the tiles of a pool in an attempt to get the grout off. He was hired to fix the pool of a house that had once been abandoned and was being flipped by a young couple down the street. The job paid well, so Josh didn’t mind. After all, he did make up a third of the company “Dun and Sons.”

“Hey, Josh,” a voice calls out, tearing Josh away from his job to pull himself out of the empty pool. The husband of the couple smiles at him with his blinding white teeth. “How’s the job going?”

“Good. Think I might be able to get some water in here by the end of the week.”

“Yeah, about that.” His smile turns sympathetic and Josh prepares for the worst. “So we kind of want to have a mock open house this weekend just to see if this house sparks any interest, so if you could speed this up, that would be awesome.”

Josh frowns. “You said I had the whole month to work on this. That’s why it’s just me. My dad and brother have other shit to do so I can’t just call them up--”

“I understand man, I do,” he interrupts, “but you know how the wife gets. She’s antsy. Already she’s changed the art inside the living room three times.”

No, Josh really did not “know how the wife” got. He wasn’t married.

Also, he was gay.

He adjusts the lip of his baseball cap and sighs. “Yeah, okay. I’ll try my hardest. Any way I can get compensated for the overtime?”

The husband laughs and slaps Josh’s shoulder playfully. It makes Josh want to punch him. “You’re funny, Josh. Really. I’ll miss having you around.” Slowly, he begins to inch back toward the sliding glass doors. “End of the week! See you then, my dude.”

Just like that, he’s gone, leaving Josh to huff at the audacity of this couple. He definitely was not getting paid enough for this.

Josh ends up staying there far after he was supposed to get off, the sweat gathering across his brow despite the sun dipping below the horizon. He hops out of the pool, wipes his forehead with the back of his hand, and begins to clean up for the night. After a couple phone calls, Josh was able to get confirmation from his dad that they could get the water and chlorine in time for the open house this weekend. That meant Josh had to come in early, but at this point, Josh was just ready to finish this project and get the fuck out of there.

After all his stuff is packed up in his truck, Josh makes one last trip to the backyard to check he didn’t leave anything behind and to lock the gate. What he finds is a guy sitting on the edge of the empty pool. The stranger's back is to Josh, which makes Josh anxious as he tiptoes closer and scratches his head.

“Hey, uhm, you aren’t supposed to be here.” The man doesn’t answer, so Josh scoots closer. “Dude. Bro. Seriously, you’re trespassing on private property.”

When the trespasser turns to face him, Josh about passes out. Whatever this is, it isn’t human. Large antlers adorn its forehead and its eyes are completely black.

“What the fuck!”

“Hey,” it says, raising the styrofoam cup in his hand in greeting. It takes a sip as Josh continues staring.

Josh doesn’t know what to do in this situation, so he starts rambling. “Whatever you are, you can’t be here, okay? So just... like, please leave before something bad happens.”

“Sorry. I just asked someone where I could find chlorine and they told me to look for any swimming pool in the area. This was the first one I found.”

“It’s not going to be much help, considering it’s empty.”

“Right. I figured that.” The thing standing in front of him stands up to offer a hand. “On my planet, I’m known as Ned.”

“Uh... okay?”

It shrugs. “I believe in your language, I would be called Tyler.”

“You and every other fuckboy on Earth.” Josh chuckles at his own joke as he folds his arms. “Look, whatever you are—”

“Tyler,” it reminds him.

“Whatever. I have to leave.” As soon as Josh pivots on his heel, Tyler grabs him, scaring the fuck outta Josh even more.

“Don’t leave, don’t leave! Please, I’m going to die soon if I don’t get chlorine. This is the last of what I have,” it shakes the almost empty cup again, “I need help.”

“You aren’t going to get much help looking like that,” Josh mumbles. Tyler frowns.

“Oh. _Oh._ I’m supposed to blend in.” It’s quiet as Tyler studies Josh in front of him, letting its eyes turn into a carbon copy of Josh’s and its antlers (horns?) to break off in its hands. Josh doesn’t feel as uncomfortable now, but he still knows that whatever is standing in front of him is not human.

“I’m a ‘he,’ y’know.” Tyler raises an eyebrow. “Just because I’m not human doesn’t mean you gotta call me an ‘it.’”

“So you can read my thoughts too?” Josh scoffs.

“I won’t if that bothers you.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of invasive, man.”

He shrugs. “I’m learning. Do I look okay now? Like you?”

“Sure.”

“Can you help me get chlorine?”

Josh sighs. He knows his conscience would let him walk away from this, even if Tyler is from a different planet and has horns. After a few seconds of silence, he nods his head. “Yeah. I can help you.”

 

* * *

 

Tyler stares out the truck window while Josh drives back to his apartment. He seems to be very interested in everything passing by him, his eyes wide and in awe.

“So...” Josh decides to strike up small talk, hoping it will help him feel better about this situation. “What brings you to Earth?”

“I’m an ambassador of sorts. My people hoped I could get Earth as our ally.”

“I don’t think many people know there is life on other planets here. You might not get too far.”

“So it seems.” Tyler turns to look back out the window. “Your planet is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s so... green.”

Josh snorts. “Yeah, we’re one of a kind.”

“I never thought I’d be given the opportunity to travel to Earth. It’s so far out of our orbit.”

“Kinda weird that you didn’t do any research about what we breathe down here because it’s definitely not chlorine.”

“Well...” Tyler mashes his hands together, “It’s not that we breathe chlorine, okay? It’s just that I need it. It’s like... what do you drink?”

“Water?” Josh raises an eyebrow. He notices the tips of Tyler’s ears come to point right above his hair. The dude can pull it off.

His cheeks turn red. “Yeah. Water. We just... we need chlorine. Probably more often than you need water.”

“Alright man, well, hopefully, my dad dropped the containers off. I have to finish up that pool tomorrow and put the water in.”

“I can help you if you’d like.”

“You know how to clean pools?”

“Well, no, but how hard can it be?”

Josh lets out a large guffaw. “Wrong, dude. It’s an art. Takes a lot to learn how to clean a pool. You can’t just do it and expect to have good results.”

“You’re lying.”

“I thought I told you not to read my damn thoughts?!” Josh shoots him a glare as he pulls into the parking garage underneath his apartment complex and kills the engine. Arms crossed, he continues to stare holes into the extra-terrestrial in front of him.

“Sorry.” At least he looks guilty. His brown eyes swirl with green.

“What the fuck did your people think was going to happen when you got here? You don’t know anyone. You fucking looked like a goat demon when I found you. What were you expecting?”

He seems to shrink right there in the seat. Josh knows he’s being rude, but he doesn’t care. “What if I hadn’t found you? What was your plan?”

“I don’t--”

“I’m fucking done, dude.” Josh shakes his head in anger before jumping out of the car. He begins to gather his things as Tyler begs him not to go.

“Wait, wait! Please. Please don’t go. I promise I will tell you everything if you just keep me with you, okay? I need you to stay with me. I can’t be alone. I don’t _want_ to be alone. I’m on a different planet with people who aren’t like me and I’m, I’m... I’m _scared!”_ Tyler wraps his arms around himself, striking that last bit of compassion remaining in Josh’s heart.

He sighs. “Okay. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Look, it’s really not you, okay?” Tyler eyes him in a way that lets him know that he knows Josh is lying. “Fine. It’s kind of you. But like, imagine you found out there was life on other planets. It’s kind of a lot to take in, bro.”

“I get that,” agrees Tyler as he nods his head vigorously, “but I promise, I mean you no harm.”

“I don’t think you do. It’s not just you. That pool I’m working on? The fucking genius owners decided that they wanted it done like three whole weeks early so now I have to bust my ass to get it done on time. And I don’t even get paid extra!”

“That’s whack,” Tyler says. Suddenly, Josh finds himself laughing hysterically, unable to even tell Tyler why as the alien frowns.

“Sorry, sorry,” he wipes a tear from his eye, “in just thoroughly impressed by your English.”

“I’ve been studying for a while now.” His cheeks flush.

“That’s cool, man.” Josh flashes a smile before venturing to the back of his truck. He unlocks the bed and reaches in for the half-empty container of chlorine left over from his last job.

“Here.” He slides the container into his arms before passing it over to Tyler. “This is all I have left for now. I’ll have to stop by my parent’s house to collect the others I need to finish up the pool.”

“Okay.” After an abrupt nod, Josh gestures for Tyler to follow him up the stairs. There, Josh unlocks his apartment door and pushes in. His apartment isn’t anything special, just an average one-bedroom apartment, but it was his home.

Tyler looks up at the ceiling as he drifts in, looking more like a lost puppy than a human being. Not that he was that, either, but it was a more accurate description.

“Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?”

“No, I should be okay. I don’t... eat the things you do.” He pops the cap of the chlorine bottle and pours some into the styrofoam cup still clutched in his hand. “This will hold me over.”

“Alright.” Josh begins to busy himself with his own dinner, pulling out milk for his cereal. He can feel Tyler’s eyes on him but says nothing.

“Your ears are rounded.”

“Huh?” Josh pauses to glance at Tyler who is touching the tops of his own ears.

“I just thought... they were pointed. All the pictures we saw of Earthlings growing up, they had pointed ears.”

“Uh, no, not usually.” Josh pulls his box of Reese’s Puffs out of the panty and pours it into a bowl. “I mean, I guess in some stories, maybe.”

“Interesting.” After a few more seconds of touching his ears, Tyler allows them to morph into a rounded shape. He sips on his chlorine and watches Josh with big, brown eyes.

Josh brings his bowl of cereal to the dinner table, beckoning Tyler to join him. He shovels a few bites into his mouth and swallows before striking up a conversation. “So... you said you were going to tell me everything? What did you mean by that?”

Tyler’s shoulders sag. He refuses to make eye contact. “I didn’t tell you the truth. I’m not... I’m not an ambassador, or whatever you call it. I didn’t think I would be coming to Earth at all, but something happened, and I’m... I’m the last of my kind.”

Josh’s face softens. “Do you know what happened?”

“No. I just remember chaos. I got into a ship and fled. I didn’t... I didn’t even think about my friends or my family... I was just thinking about myself.” His eyes grow glassy. “It took months to get here. We’re so far out of your galaxy that I had to use warp drive. You probably don’t know anything about that.”

He is quiet. “Probably more than you’d think.”

Tyler chuckles sadly. “Good, then. I just spent so much time studying Earth that it was the first place I thought of. I guess I didn’t think about it that well.”

“Where’d your ship crash?” Josh chews with his mouth closed, giving Tyler his undivided attention.

“Uh, like, down the street from where you found me. I think it was in a forest of some type.”

“Okay, well, we can go down there and check tomorrow before I have to go back to that house. It would probably be a good idea to cover up the evidence before some crazy conspiracists find out and start spewing shit.”

“You mean... you’re gonna let me stay?”

“I’m not gonna kick you out, dude. I know I was an asshole, but you’ve got nowhere else to go, and I have a perfectly good couch you can sleep on.”

Tyler smiles. “Thanks.” A pause. “Can I have your spoon?”

“Uhhhh...” He’s eaten all his cereal, so Josh hands over his spoon, mostly out of curiosity to what Tyler is going to do with it. When he sticks it in his mouth and bites down, it becomes clear.

“Dude, what the fuck!” The feet of his chair squeak as he backs out from the table. Tyler pulls the bent spoon out of his mouth and frowns.

“What? That’s what you were doing!”

“I didn’t fucking break my teeth on it!”

Tyler shrugs. “I can’t help if my teeth are stronger than yours. Besides,” the spoon returns to his mouth, “it tastes good.”

“Fine, eat my spoon. That’s the only one you’re getting.” Josh picks up his dishes, drops them in the sink, and runs a hand through his hair. “I’ll get you some blankets and a pillow. Please don’t put any of my other cutlery into your mouth, okay?”

Tyler gives him a thumbs up in response, so Josh disappears into his bedroom.

 

* * *

 

They watch a movie together that night. Josh tries to watch it, but he’s too distracted by Tyler looking between the television and Josh next to him. Finally, Josh pauses the movie and turns toward him.

“What?”

His eyes widen. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. I’m just curious.”

“I thought you were the human expert.” Josh raises his eyebrows.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see one in person,” Tyler admits.

“Yeah.” Josh clicks his tongue. “So like... what makes you so different from me? Obviously, the fact that you drink chlorine and eat spoons.”

Tyler blushes. “I dunno. What can you do that I can’t? That’s kind of a hard question to answer.”

Josh thinks about it. “Can you walk through fire?”

“You can’t?” He flashes a cocky smile, causing Josh to roll his eyes.

“You can shapeshift.”

“To some extent. I can’t like, change skin color or my height or whatever. Just little things here and there. Mostly for adaption purposes. My people are...” he sighs, “were, good hunters.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you for being so kind to me. I know bringing an alien into your house is terrifying, but I appreciate it.”

Maybe Tyler wasn’t as bad as Josh thought. “Of course.”

 

* * *

 

They get up early the following morning to head back to the pool. Josh stops by his parent's house to pick up the extra containers of chlorine to stuff into the back of his truck.

“Who’s this?” His dad asks as Tyler helps him load the truck. For a second, he looks frightened before Josh assures his father Tyler is a friend and everything returns to normal.

Josh is glad to see that neither Mr. or Mrs. House-Fixer-Upper is there to pester him. He begins to unload his tools and supplies while Tyler wanders to the edge of the empty pool, that stupid styrofoam cup clutched in his hand.

“Nothin’ in there yet, mate,” Josh informs him as he sets down a barrel of chlorine. “You can drink from this if you want.”

“I was just admiring your craftsmanship. You fixed the tile and flooring all by yourself?”

Josh nods. “Yeah, but I was also supposed to have a month to work on this, so.”

“Right.” Tyler stands up and places a hand on his hip. “I can help you carry those containers in. Are you gonna start putting water in?”

“Yep. I would do more work on the tiles, but since they want it done by Friday, that’ll have to do. I doubt they’ll notice anyway. They aren’t the brightest.”

Tyler points. “You’ll let me drink?”

“Go for it. Just please don’t overdose on chlorine. I don’t need the extra work today.”

A smile. “Sure thing, Josh.”

Tyler’s help means everything, and by the end of the day, the pool is looking really good. Josh will come back in the morning to check up on it and add the final touches before the open house that night. He places his hands on his hips and stares at the water rippling within the pool.

“It looks nice,” comments Tyler as he sits down on the edge. He’s still in his clothes from the previous day, a button up shirt and some shorts, but pauses to take his shoes and socks off before sticking them in. “Feels nice.”

“Gonna take in the chlorine through osmosis?” Josh teases as he sits down next to him and takes his shoes off as well. Tyler looks over at him as he sticks in feet in the pool and lets them swing back and forth underwater.

“I dunno if I can do that, actually.” Tyler looks sad. Josh wants to ask why, but he thinks he already knows. Tyler lost all his people. He had no one left.

“Do you wanna go for a swim?” Josh hopes it will help to cheer his alien friend up. The corners of Tyler’s mouth tilt upward.

“That sounds nice! Won’t we get in trouble?”

Josh rolls his eyes. “I don’t care.” He pulls his feet out of the pool and stands up to peel off his shirt and shorts. Tyler copies him, watching with those big eyes of his. Josh thinks he might be liking them more and more.

The water feels nice after working in the hot sun all day. Josh sinks to the bottom of the pool and opens his eyes to look around. He’s quite proud of what he was able to get done, considering he only had about half the time he was promised. Through the shadows of the blue water, he watches Tyler float downward like a feather and smiles.

They both pop their heads up at the same time, Josh gasping for air while Tyler smooths his hair back and out of his face. His brown eyes have retreated back to black and his skin is glowing.

“This is good for you,” Josh points out as he treads water. Tyler’s smile grows.

“We didn’t have water like this on my planet,” he explains, splashing the waves, “and something weird is happening to me.”

Josh frowns as he swims closer, grabbing onto the ledge to keep himself afloat. “What’s wrong? Are you hurting?”

“No, no, I’m okay!” Tyler laughs a little as he beckons Josh closer, holding out his hand for Josh to latch onto. When Josh grabs hold, his head dips under the water, prompting Tyler to pull him up. Josh sputters out water, allowing Tyler to hold him.

“Watch this,” he whispers, pressing both of his hands to either side of Josh’s neck. Josh closes his eyes, tilts his head up, and lets Tyler pull him under the water.

At that moment, something happens that Josh is unable to describe. When he opens his eyes, he feels stronger than he’s ever felt before. His heart is racing, staring at Tyler, trying to memorize all the flaws and imperfections marked across his face. Without any reason to disguise himself, Tyler’s eyes have returned to their usual form, a black that reminds Josh of the sky at midnight. His horns are starting to grow back too, right on his forehead. They are only small nubs at this point and Josh wonders if they hurt.

There’s also a new addition to Tyler’s set of anomalies. Gills now adorn the side of his neck.

Josh’s eyes widen. He learned new things about his extra-terrestrial friend every day.

_See that?_ Tyler’s voice appears in his head as he raises his eyebrows. _I can breathe in this stuff._

Josh smiles as Tyler's hands return to the sides of Josh’s neck. He uses one hand to slick back his hair and presses a kiss to his forehead. Josh knows he should kick upward to get some air, but the need hasn’t come to him yet.

_So can you,_ Tyler tells him. Josh pushes Tyler’s hands away to touch his own neck.

He can feel them.

It’s what is giving him power, filling his body with adrenaline, providing him with energy to start laughing hard enough that teeny tiny bubbles surround him. Tyler laughs with him.

And that is when Josh decides he’s going to protect Tyler with his entire being.

 

 

* * *

 

Things feel different after that in a way Josh can’t quite explain. He feels light as a feather, like a balloon heading up, up, up toward outer space. Josh knows he will never get that far, that one of these days, he’ll pop, but for now, he’s running on that high.

They are still slightly damp when Josh pulls his truck into the parking garage. They sit in their underwear, their dry clothes discarded in the back seat. The warm night breeze feels good as it rolls across their arms and legs in gentle waves.

“The gills don’t stay on you,” Tyler breaks the silence, styrofoam cup in hand still topped off with a little bit of chlorine, “that’s weird.”

“They don’t stay on you either,” Josh points out as he steps out of his truck. Tyler doesn’t budge as Josh shuffles to the back of the truck to open the trunk and pulls out his clothes. The fabric of his shirt sticks to his chest as he slides it on, opting to keep his pants draped over his arm.

By the time he’s gathered up Tyler’s clothes, the extraterrestrial has finally climbed out of the car, looking like his cute puppy self. The nubs of his antlers look longer now, his wet hair stuck to his forehead in between the horns. Josh smiles.

“You okay?”

“Confused,” he admits, rubbing his hands together. He takes his clothes from Josh and balls them up in his arms. “This stuff didn’t happen to me on my planet. I just... I feel weird.”

“Weird because of what’s been happening? Or weird in general?”

Tyler shrugs. “I don’t know. I wish I could explain, but I... I don’t know.”

“Your antlers are growing back,” Josh notes, reaching out to touch one. It feels like velvet, which makes him pull away in surprise. Tyler seems to almost purr at the feel. “Does it hurt?”

“A little. I can break them off again if they get too long. To camouflage myself.”

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

“No. Not unless they get clipped too short to my skin.” He rolls his shoulders and tilts his head. The brown in his pupils have started to darken to the rest of his eyes now that he sat in that chlorinated water for so long.

“You have to think pretty actively about this whole camouflage thing, don’t you?”

Tyler bites his lip. “Can you tell?”

“A little.” Josh clicks his tongue. “Come on. Let’s go dry off, get some clean clothes on, eat, and then we can take a look where your ship crashed. The sooner we get that cleaned up the better. I’ve watched enough _X-Files_ in my life to know what happens when some crazy person finds a UFO in their backyard.”

_“X-Files?”_ Asks Tyler as they begin walking up to Josh’s apartment, “what is that?”

“It was a television show about aliens and other weird supernatural creatures. Did you have anything like TV back home?”

“Television. That’s the moving pictures?”

“Yes.”

Tyler grins. “Yeah. It was pretty cool. Way more advanced than what you have here.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me one bit,” Josh smiles back as he unlocks his door and pushes in, Tyler hot on his heels. “Can I get you anything for dinner that is not made of metal?”

“Do you have anything made of brass?”

Josh snorts. “Sure, let me get you my trumpet. Eat that for dinner.”

“Sounds delicious.” He blinks cluelessly. Josh hates how cute he looks.

“No. You can’t actually eat any of my furniture or decorations. Can you eat Earth food?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“Let’s find out. You know, experiment.” Josh digs a package of frozen burritos out of his freezer and slaps them inside the microwave. “Watch the timer while I go get us some clothes, okay? I’ll bring you a towel.”

“To eat?”

“To _use,”_ Josh clarifies. He’s not frustrated or annoyed, but rather amused by Tyler’s curiosity into the human mind. After he’s sure Tyler won’t blow up the place, Josh slinks off to his bedroom to grab clothes.

“The timer,” Tyler starts back up again as soon as Josh walks in fully clothed, “it’s counting down.”

“Yes.”

“What happens when it goes off? Will we die?”

“No. It means the food is done.” Josh hands Tyler a pair of boxer-briefs, a pair of sweatpants, and a t-shirt. Tyler stares at the clothes. “I forgot your towel.”

“It’s okay. I’m dry enough.” Without any warning, Tyler pulls his underwear off, causing Josh to scream. It’s an involuntary reaction because although he’s seen many dicks in his lifetime, an alien cock was not something he thought he’d ever see. He stubs his toe on the corner of the counter as he hides his flushed face behind his hands.

“Motherfucker. Ow.” Josh nearly bangs his head into the wall too. He cracks an eyelid open just to see if Tyler is covered.

Fortunately, he is, stopped halfway with one arm hanging out of his shirt. “What?” He cries, “What did I do?”

“You can’t just do that, dude. Gotta warn someone before you start whipping out your genitalia.”

“You have one too?!” Tyler seems genuinely surprised by that information. He pulls his pants away from his body to glance down. “Does it look like mine?”

“We are not having this conversation, dude.” In all the chaos, the microwave went off, so Josh ignores his pain to pull the burritos out. He slaps them on two different plates and slides them across the counter. “Eat your food, you overgrown child.”

Tyler tugs his shirt down. It looks huge on his skinny body. “Okay, okay. Then we can visit my ship?”

“Yeah, man.” Josh clutches his hair between his fingers, sighs, and sits down.

 

* * *

 

Tyler likes his burrito. Josh is thrilled he won’t have to buy any more forks.

Back in the truck, Tyler directs Josh to the woods where he crashed. It’s almost ten at night by the time Josh parks the truck and gets the flashlights out.

“Here. Lead the way, captain.”

Tyler happily complies, stopping his way through the brush and into the dark forest. Birds chirp around them loudly, still fueled with energy from the long day. Josh looks around far more than the other boy currently stomping on sticks and fallen leaves.

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“Yes,” his voice is firm and terrifying, “I remember.”

Josh believes him.

Finally, they come to a clearing where a giant hole now sits. Broken branches and parts of the ship litter the ground from the crash. When Josh peers over the side of the ditch, he sees the sad remains of the craft. It looks useless now.

“How do you expect us to clean this mess up?” Tyler places his hands on his hips and blows a raspberry. His antlers look ginormous under the gleam of the flashlight.

“That... is a great question.” Josh kicks at a broken hunk of metal and watches it slide down into the pit. His stomach churns with uneasiness at the loud echo. “I don’t think we can.”

“So we just leave it?”

“Well...” With another click of his tongue, Josh leans the tips of his toes over the edge and shines the flashlight on the silver metal of the ship. “Did you leave anything in there?”

“No. Besides, even if I did, the whole thing caught on fire. See the scorch marks?” Josh could now that they were being pointed out to him.

“Jesus,” he mutters.

“Exactly. I was lucky to get out alive.”

“Okay. Okay, okay.” Josh begins to pace. It’s the best way for him to think. “You’re a refugee. There’s nothing wrong with that. And you can stay with me. That’s okay. I don’t mind. I bet you could just work with me on pools from now on and we can earn income for my apartment that way. That could work.”

“Slow down.” Tyler steps away from the edge and makes his way out to calm Josh down. With one soothing touch, Josh’s rapid breaths slow down as he looks Tyler in the eyes. “It’s okay. You don’t need to worry about that, okay? I don’t need to stay.”

“No. No! Where will you go?”

“You’ve known me for two and a half days, Josh. I appreciate your help, truly, but I don’t want you to struggle. You got me chlorine and clothes and food. Now I can get that stuff myself.”

“But how will you survive?”

“I’m just a chemical.” He smiles triumphantly. “I’ve done it before and I can do it again.”

“No,” Josh says one last time, his voice as firm as he can make it. He reaches out for Tyler’s shirt collar and yanks him forward, slamming his lips against Tyler’s. Tyler melts under his touch, allowing the kiss to happen, to continue, under the starry night sky. Josh feels soft. Tyler feels safe.

Together, they feel the vibes of their rebel red hearts beating perfectly in sync.

Maybe soulmates weren’t real, but Josh had a hard time believing that.

He was pretty sure he just found his.

 

* * *

 

Tyler agrees to come back home with him. He tells Josh that kissing him feels better than any other person he kissed back on his own planet.

“Humans have much softer lips. Feels like velvet,” he explains. Josh wants to fuck him.

“Did you have sex on your planet? I mean, you had to of have, right? Because of reproduction.” He smirks as he unlocks the door, loving the color of Tyler’s face.

“Oh yes, I’m very familiar.” Tyler sticks his tongue out. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to do it with a human.”

“I’d be happy to show you,” laughs Josh as he pushes forward.

Inside, they are met with the cold kiss of a gun.

Josh raises his hands slowly as the suited men force him onto the ground. Tyler is shoved into the arms over another, who shoves a taser into his side. The electricity turns his skin blue and his screams are deafening.

“Please don’t hurt him,” Josh whispers. “He didn’t do anything.”

“We’ll be taking the creature with us,” says the man with his gun pointed at Josh’s head.

“Please,” he feels himself getting ready to cry, “don’t hurt him.”

Those men should not be real. They weren’t supposed to be. They only existed in fiction, yet here they were, stealing Tyler away from him. That wasn’t fair. _This_ wasn’t fair.

“Creature is subdued,” says the other man. Tyler’s eyelids limp shut as his wrists are bound by the man in black.

“He’s not dangerous,” Josh continues, “I swear. He doesn’t need to be locked away. He lost his family, his friends--”

“It’s protocol, kid. Don’t worry. You won’t remember anything.” With the gun still pointed at Josh’s forehead, the man moves to open the door, prompting the other to throw Tyler’s limp body over his shoulder.

“He needs chlorine,” the tears are falling now, “please. He will die without chlorine.”

The men ignore him. “Got it. Alpha, subject in hand. Leaving now.”

Man #1 and Tyler are gone. Josh’s man in black pulls a device out of his pocket that looks like a camera. Josh succumbs to begging.

“Please don’t do this. He needs me.”

“This thing?”

“Yes. He wouldn’t hurt a soul, I swear--”

The man cuts him off with a laugh. “He’s poisonous, pal. He’ll kill you with one look.”

“No--”

“You’ve been hallucinating. Don’t worry, though. Everything will be fine.”

The camera flashes and Josh forgets.

 

* * *

 

 

Under the heat of the blazing sun, Josh prepares to present his newly finished pool to the young fixer-upper couple down the street that hired him for the job.

“Josh,” a voice calls out, tearing Josh away from the admiration of his work. The husband of the couple smiles at him with his crooked, white teeth. “It looks incredible. The wife is going to love it.”

Josh grins back. “That’s great to hear.”

The styrofoam cup in the husband’s hand strikes a feeling of deja vu inside Josh’s tummy.  

His hand, adorned with bright yellow pieces of tape, glimmers underneath the sunlight.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Since I'm not on tumblr anymore, feel free to follow me on twitter @Dillydahle. It's more of a personal twitter but I'm still down to chat about fics or whatever else tickles your fancy!


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